Before the wall ... During the cere­ monies of the blessing of the statue of Our Lady of the A umption, Fr. KNIGHT Ryan says the preceding prayers, while John Beh and Ray Tiedje assist him. Father sprinkled the tatue with so BEACON much holy water that the water ran down the wall. Vol. II-No. l A sumption High School Davenport, Iowa October 2, 1959 StatueMetamorphi zes "ThisPile of Bricks" ''This mere pile of bricks and tone · has been changed into Assumption high school through the erection of a sta­ tue," commented Fr. Edmond Weeg in his introductory address at the dedica­ tion ceremony Sept. 20. Over a hundred priests, sisters, stu­ dents, and honored guest of the cla~ of '59 were pre ·ent, as Fr. Wecg con­ gratulated the first graduates on their donation. The creator of the tatue, Miss Donna Marihart , explained why she cho e aluminum as a medium for the work First, it 1s a contemporary material. Second, aluminum was already u ed in the construction of the building; there­ fore the statue ties in with the build­ ing. Third, the statue will not dis­ color to any extent in oxidizing. Fourth, aluminum is durable yet light. Miss Marihart described the main structural form as a, "restrained, up­ ward-moving curve to express the idea of the Blessed Mother's Assumption Knight Beacon Changes Face; into heaven." This curve sweeps from the bottom of the skirt, along the arm, to the top of the veil. The arc is re­ Staff Approves New Portfolio peated in the upward-pointed hand~ Tailor-made for Assumption high Distribution of papers and covers which are strong, capable, and woman­ school, and a unique experiment are will be made through the homerooms ly. some of the terms used by the Knight this year , Orders for the covers will Although the hands have been crit­ Beacon staff to describe this year's be taken by members of the staff. icized by some as being too large, the revised format. Layout will be flexible, varying from <Continued on page 2> • Through this new format, which un­ two to three columns, with wider col­ folded during discussions and debates urns for easier reading. Picture stories in journalism class, the staff hopes to and layouts will be utilized to illustrate combine the coverage of a newspaper and liven the text . However, accord­ and the permanence of a yearbook. ing to Fr . William F. Wiebler, advisor, "Primarily this is a writing venture The Knight Beacon portfolio will be . not merely a collection of snap­ published nine times a year, with each shots." issue containing 12 to 16 pages. The pages, 9" by 12" in size, can be in­ Pat Deluhery, who named the Knight serted in a hard cover of padded red Beacon last year, heads the stalT as leatherette. Football programs and editor. Other editors include Dick programs from other events through­ Wolfe, sports, Roberta Ellis, features, out the year will also be printed to fit Margaret DiBlasio, copy editor, and inside the cover. Carole Gross and Larry Montford, as­ sociate editors. Gary Jansen and Paul Orders will be taken at the begin­ ning of the year for the covers. In ad­ Bower will serve as photographers, and di hon to an original design, the front Judy Abbott is the staff artist. Lay­ of the cover will contain the name out will be handled by John Beh and Knight Beac on, the year, and the in­ Tom McDonnell and circulation by dividual student's name lettered in Mary Ann Sunderbruch and Dick gold. In an informal survey taken by Fick. Business manager is Ray Tiedje. members of the Beacon staff, various students said they would be willing In its first year of publication, the to pay from two to four dolla"rs for the Kni ght Beacon merited an All-Catholic Beh ind the wall . Ray Tiedje talk cover, and were surprise d to learn it rating, the highest given by the Cath­ to John Beh , who holds the holy water would cost only $1.75. olic School Press Association. bucket . ArtistDescribes Statue 1Conunued from page 1) artist feels they are anatomically cor­ rest and express at least part of the e sence of the Blessed Mother - a woman who worked with her hands . Continuing, Miss Marihart explained that the expression in the face of the statue is expectant and serious, indi­ cating a quiet ecstasy . It is the strong face of a woman. not the traditional over-rounded face of a girl. The stars radiate from the center with six rays of different lengths in­ dicating the sparkle of stars. The 12 stars are arranged asymmetrically about the figure to symbolize heaven. The figure was placed above the ground to convey a feeling of sus­ pension . "The whole composition of stars and figure forms a diagonal that directs the attention upward," stated Miss Marihart. Working in her Marycre t tudio, Don na Marihart adds finishing touches to the mold of the statue of Our Lady of A umption, which was ca t in the After the speeches, Fr. John Ryan local Kloppenberg foundry. formally blessed the statue. Serving as altar boys were Ray TiedJe and graduates' senior class tree . John Beh, both seniors. During the Annbel Kuriger , one of the grad­ blessing Father Weeg read the prayers Pep RaileyPops uates in attendance, staled, "I think in English over the loud-speaker. a lot of us now understand the sym­ After the ceremony, refreshments bolic meaning of our statue and we Wit/,School Song were served m the library court, giv­ hop our tre will be big enough by ing visitors a chance to see the first Christmas to b decorated ." FromBandsman "There is no place like Assumption," declares the new school song, presented to the student body at the recent pep rally in preparation for the Assump­ A - SSUMP TION tion-Davenport . game . The new song was introduced by Mr . Carl Paarman who sang it at the rally. WE MEAN A - SSUMP- TION HIGH---- WHERETHE SPIR-IT IS Th re was so much noise in approval that Mr . Paarman threatened, "If you don't keep still, I'll sing it again." Th tune for the song, which is the STRONG-ERAND THE LOY - AL - TY LONG- ER WE' RE PROUD OF OUR same as the melody to "Dear Old Ne­ braska U.," written by Harry Pecha, was suggested by Fr. Robert Walter . TEAM RED AND WHITE----- THERE IS NO PLACELIKE A-­ He heard it several times at the Na­ ,---... tional Guard camp this summer, and thinks the melody is stirring, yet simple enough for students to learn SSUMP- - - TION WHERE WE'RE ALL TRUE KNIGHTS--- WE' LL quickly. The words for the new song are a combination of suggestions from the faculty. ALL STICK TO - GETH-ER IN ALL KINDS OF WEATH-ER WEI RE Mr. Paarman, the band director, plans to use the pep song "as a quick --- rouser for all athletic events." It will be played when the team scores a ONE AT A - - SSUHP- TION HIGH---- touchdown. Future plans for the band include the acquisitions of uniforms, and possibly the performing of half­ time programs . 2 DJ Flips His Platters But Never His Lid by Roberta Elli but 1t helps," Don quips. "In reahty, Weeg is the pro but Father Mottet Records, java, and golf fill the life though, it takes much training and a keeps me wondering - 'Who is worse, of a man from Jonesboro, Arkansas. lot of experience. A thorough back­ Father or myself?'" ground in English, geography and his­ This man is no other than Don Nel­ Besides his varied activities, Don son - the man who spins the platters tory is a necessity, In fact, most sta­ manages to give about three hops a at Assumption's hops. tions require a college education for the job today." week. He now limits himself to pri­ Don first began his disc jockey ca­ vate hops. He feels that there arc so Since Don has passed out the trad­ reer as a record librarian in seventh many disk jockeys who arc only out grade. As Don puts it, "A record li­ itional blue-banded cigars, he spends for the almighty dollar rather than for brarian is one who puts away the much of his time at home with his wife 'mess' of records after a dj's show." and baby boy. But he adds, "This sum­ the enJoyment of the teen-agers. Don mer I took up golf and now my wife says that the private hop is much more At fourteen Don was given a show (the former Mary Jo Van Camp) is a orderly and one can get to know his by a friend from 6:30 to 6:45 a.m. They golfer's widow. I like to play golf with own clasmates much better at such a thought that only a few people would gathering , hear the show. "But 1t happened that Father Wceg and Father Mottet. Father both bosses of the radio station were listening that day and consequently both my friend and myself were fired," laughes Don As a sophomore in high school, Don got his first real job as a disc jockey He spun records every night after school. Later he moved to the Quad­ Cities where he is now employed by WQUA, Moline . "Many people ask me what I do be­ tween records and newscasts. Well, actually there is little time to even get out of the small recording room . Switching from turntable to turn­ table and recording everything I say on the air at the exact second keeps me very busy.